Something in the Rain
by Maeve Morgan
Summary: Minako sees how much Seiya is hurting because of his feelings for Usagi, but she also knows her friend already has the great love of her life and a bright future pre-ordained. As she also struggles over her own rejection by the one she wants, Minako reaches out to the lead singer of the Three Lights for a much needed conversation that takes them somewhere unexpected.
1. Chapter 1: Dedication

**Disclaimer:** Sailor Moon, its characters and universe were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I'm merely a fan of the series, writing stories as an attempt to maintain sanity in a life occupied with working. I expect no profit from this. Except for the sanity, of course.

A.N.: Not part of my usual Sailor Moon Universe. I honestly have no idea where this came from, but I thought it up and wrote it down so quickly while taking a break from working on the latest chapter of Starlight Destiny and I was surprised by how much I liked it─a somewhat starker view of so many complicated feelings raging out in the Stars season with a few of my favorite characters. This takes place immediately after the end of episode 194.

Summary: Minako sees how much Seiya is hurting because of his feelings for Usagi, but she also knows her friend already has the great love of her life and a bright future pre-ordained. As she also struggles over her own rejection by the one she wants (who in turn also loves an unattainable princess from another planet), Minako reaches out to the lead singer of the Three Lights for a much needed conversation that takes them somewhere unexpected.

* * *

 **Something in the Rain**

 _Chapter One: Dedication_

"Am I not good enough?"

Seiya had said the words quietly, but even with the pouring rain they'd all heard it as clearly as if suddenly his voice were the only sound on that rooftop. As Usagi remained kneeled down on the rain-soaked floor in shock at what she heard and the other girls didn't quite know what to do, Minako sighed quietly to herself and decided she needed to take care of this newest development.

"Mako-chan, Ami-chan," she called them and they both looked at her, though the blonde remained looking forward at the duo under the rain. "Please get Usagi and take her home. If she stays out in this cold rain for long she'll catch a cold."

"Yes, you're right," Ami said nodding at once, her practical side taking over and her innate doctor nature in her also growing concerned at the scene before them.

Makoto followed her out into the rain and they both approached Usagi quietly. "Hun, come on," she said with warmth in her voice, as she reached a hand under her elbow and another supported her back.

Usagi blinked up and looked at the two of them. Still in quite a daze, she allowed Ami and Makoto to help her up and take her to the door leading down from the rooftop. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw Seiya had remained kneeling down in the rain, staring down at the floor. She wanted to say something to him, but she didn't quite know what. Her brain had freezed up and no words seemed adequate enough.

"Don't worry," Minako whispered in her ear as she passed by her in the doorway. "I'll take care of him. You go on home and get some rest."

Usagi smiled gratefully at her friend, the Leader of her Senshi, the one who always knew what to do in any situation. As Ami and Makoto led her down the steps, Minako kept on looking at Seiya, who had now stood up but was still out in the rain. His face had quite an anguished expression as he turned to look up at the dark skies, seemingly unmindful of the rain that was soaking through his hair and clothes.

"What are you going to do about this?" Rei asked Minako, even as she stayed behind while their friends took care of Usagi and as she looked at Seiya as well.

"Not sure yet," Minako admitted with a slight frown. "I can trust you to take care of her for tonight?"

"Of course," the brunette said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You don't even have to ask that."

"I know I don't," the blonde replied with a small smile. "But give her a few minutes before you barge in on her, will you? I think she does need some time alone to think."

Rei also turned to her with a smile. "Yeah, okay. Well, I'll catch up to her later then. And I'll leave you to take care of everything else."

Minako nodded seriously at her and Rei returned the gesture, looking out at Seiya one last time before she also mounted down the steps. Then it was just Minako and Seiya on that rooftop, neither moving as he stood in the rain looking up at the sky and she stood by the doorway, her back against it and her arms crossed over her chest as she watched him.

She knew he was probably waiting for her to go before he could leave, but she had no intention of doing so. She could wait out for as long as she needed to, but she was not leaving without talking to him. Of course, she understood he might also want a few moments to gather himself and that this probably wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to. Truth be told, it wasn't something she felt pleasure in either, but she felt that was her duty as a Senshi and moreover as a Leader.

It was quite some time before Seiya approached her, a frown between his eyebrows and a rather sheepish smile on his lips. Before he could say something disarmingly charming and deflect the conversation, Minako decided to take hold of it.

"We need to talk," she said as soon as he joined her by the door, out of the rain. This was Minako like Seiya had never seen before. The usual cheerful and rather goofy girl that he'd grown accustomed to was gone now, replaced by a serious and focused young woman, who somehow seemed older than her earthly years. She kept her arms crossed yet her serious countenance softened somewhat as she looked him up and down and realized just how thoroughly soaked he was. "I don't think it will be a quick conversation either, but I don't want you to stand here freezing half to death. How about you go home and get changed so we can meet later?"

"Well, I can imagine what you want to talk about," he said rather quietly, his eyes avoiding hers. "Are you busy now? You might as well just come back home with me and we can talk there."

She raised a surprised eyebrow at his words. On any other occasion being invited to visit the home of the Three Lights would have elicited a very different reaction─some ridiculous form of overreaction involving jumping up and down and screaming at the top of her lungs, most likely. Alas right now the seriousness of the situation didn't give her any cause for celebration.

"Won't Taiki and Yaten object to my presence there? Or your princess?" She asked in turn, as she thought it over. Tensions were running high these days and she didn't want them to be interrupted. And she definitely didn't need any more confrontations with Yaten after last time.

"They won't be home," Seiya explained. "They had errands to run on their own and we'd meet later on for rehearsal at the studio, so it's okay."

"Okay," she nodded, uncrossed her arms and simply started going down the stairs, Seiya trailing after her and feeling completely thrown. Not only had he basically confessed his feelings to Usagi, leaving the poor girl shell-shocked and having to deal with this on top of everything else, but this serious and business-like Minako was something he had not expected.

Unexpected, yet he was grateful for how she seemed to be dealing with all of this. She didn't say anything else on the way, the blonde merely sat quietly beside him in the car as she stared straight ahead. Even if this was rather unnerving, as he didn't think he'd ever saw her this quiet before, Seiya took the opportunity to gather himself and try to put some order on his thoughts. Try being the operative word in this case, as he was still reeling and working on autopilot by the time they walked in through the front door of the penthouse apartment he shared with his friends, fellow bandmates and Starlight Senshi.

"Can I get you something? Water, coffee?" He offered out of habit as he closed the door shut behind him.

"No, thanks," she said while shaking her head and looking around the place. Their apartment wasn't as oppullent as she'd expected by the level of famous they were. Granted, it was a big penthouse, with spacious rooms and some fine and expensive looking furniture, but nothing over the top.

"Well, help yourself to the kitchen in case you change your mind," he said, going down the hallway to his bedroom. "I'll be right back."

A quick hot shower and a change of clothes later, Seiya was surprised to exit the bathroom of his suite to find Minako standing in his bedroom in front of the window, her arms back to being crossed across her chest and a soft frown on her face. She saw him through the reflection on the window and turned around to face him.

"I'm sorry I ever let things get this far," she said without preamble.

Seiya was rather surprised at her words. This wasn't what he'd been expecting her to say right now. "What are you talking about?"

For her part, Minako threw him a rueful smile and carried on with what she wanted to say. "I knew you were interested in her. It's quite inevitable, I think it's just the way she is. Everybody loves Usagi─even enemies have fallen for her. And I didn't think you were serious and thought it would be good for her, as Mamoru went off to the USA. At least she wouldn't feel so lonely all the time, but I didn't think you'd fall this hard for her. Really, I should've known better." She finished, shaking her head to herself and looking at the floor.

"You talk as if this were your fault," Seiya frowned at her now.

"She's my responsibility," she looked sharply up at him. "Same difference."

This time he was the one to shake his head. "I knew what I was getting into. I know it's complicated and there are so many things going on and in the end it's quite impossible. But I can't help the way I feel."

Her blue eyes softened then. She hated being the one that had to do this, to break his heart and be here as it practically shattered at her feet. But at same time she didn't want to leave Usagi dealing with this on her own. It was obvious something else was happening and her princess─her _friend_ ─was at the end of her tether. Sighing deeply, Minako steered her thoughts back to what she'd come to do here. "I know. Believe me, I know exactly what that's like."

"You're talking about Yaten." Seiya's words were almost a question, but really a statement. He didn't know what exactly had happened that other day, but after participating as a judge in that idol contest Yaten had returned rambling about how the Earthen Senshi were irresponsible and stupid, especially the one that needed to be their Leader.

For some reason, after learning of their true identities Seiya had surmised Rei to be the Leader of the Earthen Senshi, so he was very confused to find out it was Minako instead. Right now he wasn't surprised at all that the blonde in front of him was their Leader. If only Yaten could see her now.

Minako looked sharply up at him again. This conversation was definitely not going where she had anticipated. Yet maybe if she empathised with him this may be easier to do. "Yeah. And I'm not blind, I know the one he truly loves is your Princess Kakyuu." Judging by his reaction to Princess Kakyuu and putting it together with the words Luna had said so many months ago, about Yaten singing for just one special lady, Minako had quickly realized the truth.

Seiya raised his eyebrows at her words, though by now he really should've known better than to be surprised. Sharp wit and great observation skills, indeed. If he took away the humor and exploding energy she always surrounded herself with (like an armour), this was the same Minako he had known all along. "He does," he admitted as he nodded at her. "However Princess Kakyuu also has her one true love already. He died when our planet was attacked, to protect her." He grimaced, as he thought back on that fateful day back in Kinmoku and the many people they'd lost.

Minako didn't miss his use of the word 'also' to describe Princess Kakyuu. It seemed he was more aware of the situation he was in than she had thought. "Humm. Then he's the same as the two of us," she uncrossed her arms and slowly walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed to be in front of him. "You know why I'm here. I don't know your history in details, but if you are Sailor Senshi like us, then you know protecting our Princess is our ultimate mission in life. Unlike Haruka and Michiru, I don't see you as enemies or dangerous people to us. I'd like nothing more than for us to work together to defeat Galaxia and bring peace back to everyone. But I need to protect her from everything, including from you and from herself."

"I would never cause her harm," Seiya protested readily with a concerned frown.

"But you are," Minako in turn retorted promptly. "You may not see this because you are blinded by your feelings for her, but this is hurting her. Her capacity for love knows no bounds and if you keep getting closer to her I don't know what could happen. And I _can't_ let it happen. By all means, we should've never met. If Galaxia hadn't attacked your planet, you never would have come here, wreaking havoc with our world and our future."

"We didn't choose to come and bring this fight here," Seiya said, his temper flaring up at her words. "We followed our Princess, we needed to find her."

"You misunderstand me," Minako calmly raised her hands as a peaceful gesture. "I'm not talking about the enemy attacking us. I'm talking about you loving Usagi and her wanting to love you back."

Seiya felt as if all air had been knocked out of his lungs. This was brutal to a level he'd never expected from Minako. He stumbled a little as he took a step back and leaned against the wall.

"You're so earnest with your feelings and intentions," she continued, staring up into his blue eyes and unmindful of the impact she was causing on him. It was why she had come here, after all. "She can see that and deep inside she wants to love you back. _But she can't_. She already loves another and they've been through Hell, so many times. They deserve to be happy this time. We all do. Our very future depends on it. We've seen that future, we've visited it and lived it, and we'll fight for it with all we have."

"What do you mean, you've lived it?" His mind was reeling from all the information he was hearing, and the question had come out before he'd actually processed everything.

"Usagi and Mamoru will be Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion, in the future. They'll create an era of peace for Earth, and they'll have a daughter, Chibi-Usa," Minako explained, her voice quiet now but as firm as before. "A few years ago she needed our help and came to the past, to our time, so we could fight an enemy, and in the process we actually went to the future and saw this new Crystal Tokyo that will be created and that we'll protect. This is not some distant, possible future for us. This is very real, we've touched it with our very hands and none of us would ever give it up."

"How? I mean, how is that even possible?" Seiya still struggled to understand what she was telling him.

"Setsuna," Minako simply shrugged her shoulders, as if that answered everything. "As Sailor Pluto, she controls the Time Door and she let us pass through from one time to another, since it was an emergency."

"So you all live already knowing how your lives will turn out?" His mind boggled at the prospect. He'd thought nothing would ever top being a Senshi and then seeing his planet destroyed as he was forced to flee after his Princess, but the idea of visiting his future and knowing how it would be seemed somehow more bizarre than anything he'd lived so far.

"We don't know everything, but we know some of what's coming and where we're headed," Minako answered calmly, as if none of that fazed her at all. "You get used to it at some point."

He grew silent as he seemed to be taking in everything she'd said. The situation was way worse than Seiya had originally thought. Not only was he from another planet and he had his love for Princess Kakyuu and his duty as a Senshi to fulfill, but the girl he'd managed to fall in love with was a princess from another planet with a heavy duty on her shoulders of bringing this paradisiacal future to reality, having already met her future daughter and come to love her! How would he ever be able to compete with that?

"It sucks, but you got dealt an impossible hand," Minako added, seemingly reading his thoughts and thinking back to the words Ace had said so long ago about her own hand of luck at love─or lack thereof. "She already has the great love of her life and she misses him terribly. If you keep getting close to her and confusing her feelings, it will not end well. For none of us. And I'd rather you hear this from me instead of the way more drastic measures Haruka and Michiru would take if they hear what happened today."

Seiya still felt out of breath and he started nodding along at her words without conscious thought. Her words were sharp and clear-cut, slicing through his soul and reaching in to break his heart. Who would've guessed she could be this cold? He might have expected this from Ami, whose brilliant mind sometimes made her sound clinical and detached, or maybe from Rei if she'd been intent on causing harm. Yet this was Minako using honesty not for cruelty, but because she cared too much.

"I'm sorry for all I've said," Minako offered as she frowned in concern up at him, seeing as he'd become so quiet and rather unsettled as she finished her explanation─as she'd finished breaking his heart.

"No, you're not," he replied, but his tone wasn't accusatory. After a moment he smiled a bittersweet smile at her.

"No, I'm not," she admitted with a sigh. "It needed to be said. But I _am_ sorry. Like I told you, I know what it's like. Feelings are generally already so complicated, and it's even worse when you live the life of a Sailor Senshi."

"This is all so messed up," Seiya agreed with an anguished tone now, running a hand over his face. "I wish things could be simpler, easier."

Minako hadn't planned on saying the next words, but they stumbled out of her mouth before she could actually think them through and rein in on her tongue. "They can be. For the two of us, at least for one night."

Seiya froze for a moment at what he heard. Slowly removing his hand from his face, he was startled to see her so vulnerable now when a moment ago she'd seemed so cool and in control, taking metaphorical punches to his gut with only her words. Blinking down at her, his blue eyes found hers. "What do you mean?"

"I know I'm not her, but did you know I'm her decoy?" Her smile was the bittersweet one now, yet her eyes never wavered from his as she kept on talking, words tumbling out of her mouth as calmly as before, but something in her tone had changed. There was something vulnerable in it now. "When she was a princess and we all lived in the Moon, in addition to being the Leader of her Guard, I'd also be her decoy whenever the situation called for it. I expect some day soon I'll have to do this again. I have the same blonde hair and blue eyes as her for this. That's also why I'm a good actress and why I got special items that the other girls don't have, like this disguise pen, so that I could be her, in case her life is ever in danger." He could see she had in her hand now a transformation pen, yet it was a different one than the one she used to become Sailor Venus.

"Minako…" Seiya wasn't sure if he was saying her name to get her to stop or beg her not to stop. He wanted to know what she would say next, but at same time he didn't want to hear it.

"For just one night, I can be her and I can be yours," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she lifted up the pen and smiled at him. "If you'd have me."

There. She'd said it. They were both holding their breaths now, both afraid to break the quiet that had descended upon them so suddenly and oppressively, the sound of the falling rain outside the only one they could hear. Seiya wondered if she could hear his heart beating frantically in his chest or the sound of blood rushing in his ears.

"This is insane," he said, gulping down as his throat somehow had gone very dry. "Why would you do this?"

"I told her I would take care of you," she replied, and by the way her eyes shone up at him he could imagine her heart must have been beating as loudly as his.

Minako had surprised him so many times already yet it seemed she wasn't quite done. He wasn't sure if this was her being a Leader or being─what, exactly? He knew she was driven by her love and desire to protect the ones she loved, but this would be taking things to another level altogether─a somewhat twisted and messed up level.

"Am I not good enough?" She whispered, her eyes never leaving his.

Yet again her words hit him with a blow he hadn't expected. As she repeated back to him the very words he'd said earlier, he realized how absurd he must have sounded to Usagi back then. Was this her final lesson to him? Was this her way of twisting the knife after she'd made the deepest of cuts to his heart, all in the name of protecting her friend and princess and this great future they had seen?

He laughed suddenly, shaking his head and closing his eyes. The situation was now verging on the absurd, and with everything that had already happened this day he'd felt as if the tension was suddenly too much and his body chose to release some of the stress with a peal of laughter. But as he looked back at her he realized how she must have interpreted his laugh, as there were sudden tears swimming in her azure eyes.

After seeing her side as the Leader of the Senshi, Seiya could now see her under a completely different light. She was showing him yet another side of her. Not of the bright funny girl who made it her mission to surround her friends and loved ones with laughter and energy. Not of the Leader of the Senshi, always prepared and ready to act, strategizing and being three steps ahead, calling the shots and following through with the hard tasks. No, he suspected this was Minako being… Minako. Showing him at her most vulnerable, exposing her true self that she rarely let others see without covering herself with armours or masks.

"I guess not, huh." She showed him her bittersweet smile once more as a single tear overflowed and trailed down her cheek, yet her eyes kept firmly looking into his. She was braver than he'd imagined─he'd never known someone who could be so open and so vulnerable at same time while facing someone else head on. Minako then toyed with the transformation pen in her hand, twirling it between her fingers and she raised a single eyebrow back at him.

Something seemed to snap then. His whirlwind of raging emotions─frustration, heartbreak, sadness, confusion─gave way to a sudden sense of desire and empathy, as something inside him recognized something in her. They were kindred spirits and he felt connected to her in a way he'd never felt before, not to her or to anyone else.

"Don't," Seiya said hoarsely, closing the gap between them in a few strides, his hand wrapping around her wrist and stopping her from raising her hand that was holding the transformation pen any further. His blue eyes bore into hers and she stared up at him in alarm, as she hadn't anticipated his sudden movement. "Don't. You don't need to be her or anyone else. Just… be you."

He decided to stop thinking, to let go and let his body take control. Closing his eyes and the gap between them even further, his free hand caressed the curve of her jaw and neck and tilted her head up, as his lips came down and claimed hers to his. The softness of her lips sent a sudden shock down his spine and she gasped into his kiss as well, as if she'd felt the same spark. As he tasted her, an intense sense of desire filled him and he pressed her body closer to him, desperate for the contact.

Minako's free hand then snaked up his chest and grabbed his hair at the back of his neck. She responded to his kisses with equal fervour, pulling him flush against her as she also ached for his caresses, her desire for him creating wild butterflies in her stomach and pooling between her legs. She fell down on the bed, pulling him on top of her and the fingers of the hand that had been wrapped around her wrist now entwined between hers.

Seiya opened his eyes again and pulled slightly apart to see Minako under him, her golden hair fanned out over his bed, her breath coming out heavily from her parted, swollen lips and her blue eyes looking dazedly up at him. He asked a silent question with his eyes and her response was to snake one of her legs up the length of his body, pulling him closer to her once more and bringing his lips back to hers, as if his kisses and touches were oxygen that she desperately needed to survive.

The rain kept falling relentlessly, and as the room built up with their sudden passion and desire for each other the window fogged up and they couldn't hear the world outside any longer. For at least one night, they'd let go of everything else and find relief and solace in each other's arms.

* * *

A.N.: I've never written anything like this before, but it somehow felt right. Not all lovers get the fairytale love story.

References: Ace is a character in Codename Wa Sailor V─he loved her but became her enemy and she was forced to kill him. As he died, he read her love fortune saying her love would never be granted, for all eternity, so that she would never again have to choose between her love or her duty. Princess Kakyuu having a lover back in Kinmoku is mentioned in the Stars manga.


	2. Chapter 2: Delicate

**Disclaimer:** Sailor Moon, its characters and universe were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I'm merely a fan of the series, writing stories as an attempt to maintain sanity in a life occupied with working. I expect no profit from this. Except for the sanity, of course.

A.N.: Thank you for those who left such kind reviews! I had no idea when I started writing this that I'd be basically digging myself into a hole, as now I can't get this story and this unexpected couple out of my head! Drats!

* * *

 **Something in the Rain**

 _Chapter Two: Delicate_

"Wow!"

"I second that."

Seiya was on his back and Minako on her stomach as the two of them lay completely naked, side by side on the former's bed, both of them catching their breaths. As they turned to each other, their eyes met and a sudden wave of laughter took over them, both high from the sudden release of endorphins and other neurotransmitters that made them feel so good.

Minako wished she could capture this moment and wrap it around her like a blanket. It somehow felt so cozy and comfortable, as if this were something they'd done a million times before. Their bodies hummed in synch with the same energy and it was amazing how at ease with each other they felt, considering how tense things had been when they had first started talking.

Seiya turned on his side to face her, supporting his head with his left hand, his arm bent at an angle on his elbow over the mattress. His other arm reached out to her, running his fingers delicately over her back and sending delicious shivers down her spine. "Can I ask you something?" He asked with something of a smile still etched on his lips.

"Sure," she replied with an easy smile as well.

"Have you ever… done this before?" His eyes averted hers as he finished his sentence, and she thought he looked adorably boyish, a light blush visible on his cheeks.

Minako scrunched up her nose delicately for a moment before replying. "Yes and no," she said and quickly elaborated at the confused look he gave her. "Technically this was my first time, in this lifetime. But I do have my memories of when I lived in the Silver Millennium in my previous life, and I did have other lovers back then. So in a way it's not as if I was completely inexperienced, I think."

"I'll say. That's actually why I was curious," he replied with quite a naughty grin now. "I thought you seemed to know what you were doing."

"Well I _am_ the goddess of love," she said with a wink. "Got to keep up the good name."

He laughed softly at that for a moment. "But you know the more I learn about it, the crazier your life gets," Seiya said with amazement in his voice. "So let me get this straight. Not only you've visited your future, but you're also completely aware of what happened to you in your past life?"

"That about sums it, yes," she nodded, looking up playfully for a moment and back at him with a smile still. "How about you?"

"No memories of past lives and I honestly have no idea where my future is going," he said, laughter in his voice now.

"I know that," she laughed back at him, reaching over and hitting him lightly on the arm. "I mean, was this your first time? Can I claim to have taken the virginity of the amazing Seiya Kou?" She finished by raising her eyebrows playfully at him, both hands cupping her chin as she supported herself on her elbows.

He blushed even further now and avoided her eyes once more. "Ah, erm. Actually, no," he said, sounding a little bit uncomfortable suddenly as his right hand scratched at the back of his head.

She laughed at this. "Don't worry," Minako assured him. "I'm not upset about it. It's not like we owe each other anything. And anyway, I would have some difficulty believing you hadn't had previous girlfriends, especially after tonight."

"Really?" He turned his eyes back to hers with curiosity. "Why?"

"Nothing about you says inexperienced, either," she said with a lazy smile, laying her head down on her folded arms.

Seiya marvelled at her ability to make him blush even after what they'd just done and the fact that they were both naked, laying on his bed. "Well, thanks, I guess." He said with an uncharacteristic embarrassed smile.

They remained in silence for a few moments, just looking and regarding each other. His smile slowly left his face as he started talking again. "Are you feeling okay?" Seiya peered attentively at her, trying to see if she was hiding something from him behind one of her masks again. "I'm sorry I made you cry before."

"Oh," her smile also slipped away at his words. She turned to him mirroring his pose, supporting her head on her right hand. "No, I'm fine. It was nothing."

"The hell it was," he said forcefully, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise at his reaction. His blue eyes stared into hers intensely. "Look, I wasn't laughing at you or what you said. It was just some really badly timed tension release mechanism. I didn't even realise what I'd done and then I saw the tears in your eyes."

"Is that why you kissed me?" Minako whispered the question at him, almost afraid of what she was asking and what would be his response.

"No," he said at once. "I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you."

Minako decided to just accept his words and not question his motivation. She _had_ offered to comfort him for one night with no strings attached, after all. It wouldn't do if she started wondering if there was anything behind any of what they were doing tonight. This was just about two friends seeking momentary comfort in each other's arms.

As if Seiya could sense she wasn't convinced by his response, he reached out to her, his hand cupping the side of her face and then running through her hair as he brought his face closer to hers. Their eyes remained locked for a moment longer before his lips met hers once more delicately.

His kisses now were different from the previous ones. While that first kiss had quickly evolved to a frenzied and hungry pace, building up fast as both of them grew desperate for some sort of release, now he kissed her slowly and gently, running his fingers lightly over her arm and feeling goosebumps raise down his trail. She responded in kind, angling her body towards his and also running a hand through his hair.

Yet it wasn't long before their sweet, tender kisses became deeper and more heated. His hand ran over the curve of her hip and gripped her waist, bringing her body closer to his. She responded to his movements, hooking one of her legs in his and hitching it up so that he was half lying on top of her once more.

Then suddenly Minako broke the kiss, but she kept close to him, pressing her forehead against his as she gasped for breath for a moment. "Hum, didn't you say something about going to rehearsal tonight?"

"Cancelled," he breathed in response, his lips tracing a path down her jaw. "Got the message just before I got in the shower," he murmured against her neck before giving it a series of open mouthed kisses that made her shiver in pleasure from head to toe.

"Really?" She breathed back her reply, feeling quite unintelligible, her hands running paths over his body as if they had a mind of their own, her fingernails just gently scratching down his back.

"Um-humm," Seiya murmured against her ear before he found his way back to her lips, eager to taste her once more as his hands got tangled in her hair. "They wanted us to rest before tomorrow's big show," he murmured against her lips, not quite breaking the kiss.

"Then maybe you should rest," she murmured back against his lips.

"I'm not tired," he replied, kissing her deeply for a moment as one of his hands ran down the side of her body, just brushing against her breast, making her gasp into the kiss. "What about you?"

"Me neither," she said truthfully as sleep was the farthest thing from her mind at the moment.

"Stay here tonight?"

Minako didn't think either of them would get much rest if she did, but she was past thinking rationally by now. She murmured her assent and then moaned into his kiss as he lifted one of her legs up to wrap it around his waist, his fingers finding their way to the wetness between her legs.

Yes, they would definitely not get much rest tonight. Not that either were complaining about it.

* * *

A few hours later, Seiya was lying on his back once more, one hand under his head and the other playing idly with Minako's hair, his arm wrapped around her back. She had one leg draped over his and her arm thrown over his waist, and he could feel her breath coming in and out as she dozed, her head laid gently on his chest. He'd woken up from a brief slumber to find them comfortably in this position after exerting themselves with their earlier activities. Even if it didn't last long it was the best sleep he'd had in days, maybe weeks.

As he looked up at the ceiling of his dark bedroom, a sliver of streetlight breaking in through the curtains acting as the only source of light, Seiya thought back on how they had ended up like this. If someone had told him when he first arrived there that he'd end up in bed with one of the Earthen Senshi he'd not have believed it. Especially with Aino Minako.

Not to say that there was anything wrong with her or that he didn't find her attractive, that much was undisputable. He'd always thought she was pretty, but in the early days of their acquaintanceship her intensity and crazy fan act (which he could now recognize as an act) had him a bit frightened, to be honest. Yet out of all the girls in that group that they'd come to interact with quite often, Minako was probably the most like himself (they both liked being in the spotlight, to play sports and were always making jokes) and he'd generally enjoyed her company. But his own focus had always been drawn by another blonde girl.

 _It's quite inevitable, I think it's just the way she is. Everybody loves Usagi─even enemies have fallen for her_ , Minako had said. And there truly was something transcendental about her. Seiya knew his fellow Starlight Senshi also felt this, as even normally stoic Taiki and easily irritable Yaten had felt enchanted by the blonde girl with the odangos, at one point or another. He couldn't understand this or his own attraction to her when she'd been merely Tsukino Usagi, a regular High School girl. He'd just thought she was something special, so sweet and innocent, a breath of fresh air, removed from all the crazy fans and people who claimed to love him even though they didn't know him. As he found out she was Eternal Sailor Moon and moreover the legendary Princess of the Silver Moon it started to make a lot more sense. Like his own Princess Kakyuu, the power of her light was irresistible.

As Sailor Senshi, they were all hardwired to love their Princesses, after all. No wonder a few of them every now and then actually fell in love with them.

So now here was Seiya Kou: In love with an unattainable princess from another planet and having spent the night having amazing sex with the girl who had come over to break his heart on behalf of said princess.

What in the world was he doing?

Still, even if this was the craziest development in his life so far, Seiya found he couldn't regret anything about it, he thought with a smile as he looked down at the sleeping Minako. Loving someone who couldn't love you back wasn't fun, of course. He was suffering for it. But now thanks to the girl in his arms he was starting to heal from it as well, as he was able to sort through his feelings and everything that had happened lately.

The amazing sex also helped a lot, of course.

Seiya chuckled softly at his thoughts and felt Minako stirring in his arms. Her eyelashes fluttered, brushing lightly against his chest and she angled her head up to look at him, her eyes squinting to make him out in the darkness. "Hey," she whispered at him, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Hey," he whispered back, his hand still playing idly with her hair. "Sorry for waking you."

"It's okay," she said. "What time is it?"

"Very late or very early, depending on your point of view," he said with a smile. "You can go back to sleep for a while."

"What about you? Why aren't you sleeping?" She said, scooting up so she'd be level with his face, laying back against the pillow but she still accepted his arm around her shoulders.

"I was, I woke up a few minutes ago," he explained. "I was just thinking."

"More troubling thoughts?" She asked, frowning concernedly at him.

"No, I actually think my thoughts have cleared up for the first time in quite a while," he smiled back at her. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" She blushed slightly under his gaze.

"For helping me with that," Seiya explained. "I think I'd be having a lot more trouble now if you hadn't come over and talked about it all with me."

"That's very weird, thanking me for coming over to break your heart," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Unless you're thanking me for all the sex. In that case, that's the first I heard of sex clearing anyone's thoughts."

Seiya choked out a laugh at that, his shoulders shaking gently as he tried to keep quiet in the dead of night. Her lips also twitched into a smile at seeing his reaction.

"You're outrageous, you know that?" He said, muffling his laughter behind his hand.

"I try," Minako grinned back at him, her eyes sparkling.

His laughter subsided after a moment, then he cupped her face with his hands and kissed her lips. He'd meant for it to be a light kiss, just a soft caress before they both could get back to sleep. But then her hands were wrapping around his neck and she kissed him back passionately, surprising him with her intensity. He was also surprised at how easily she could awaken his desire for her.

"Wow," he breathed out, as she bit down lightly on his lower lip.

"Might as well take advantage of the fact that we're both up," she grinned at him. "Pun intended." She wiggled her eyebrows provocatively at him as one of her hands wandered down his chest towards his waist and even lower.

He sucked his breath in sharply through his gritted teeth as she found her target. As his hands got tangled up in her golden hair and he kissed her back ardently, Seiya found himself agreeing with her. After all, they had agreed this would be for one night only, so they might as well enjoy it for all they could.

* * *

Later that day, Minako and Rei were the first ones to arrive at Crown Parlour for their meeting. This was arranged on purpose, as they wanted to update each other on what had happened the night before the other girls joined them. Or at least that was how Minako had put it.

"So? How did it go with Usagi?" Minako asked as soon as they were seated at their regular booth and their drinks had arrived.

"I reasoned with her," Rei sighed, gripping her coffee cup with both hands for a moment, grateful for the warmth it provided her in this cold, rainy day. "She knows what she has to do and it will be okay now, I think. But other than that, there's something else going on. I'll tell you when the other girls get here, I'm waiting a confirmation from Ami-chan. How about you? What happened with Seiya after we left?"

"I also reasoned with him," the blonde said, taking a sip of her juice. Unlike Rei, she didn't feel cold. In fact she felt quite hot and she suspected it had something to do with her past night's endervous. "I told him all about Usagi and Mamoru, and he understands his love is one-sided and impossible." She paused for a moment, her mouth wrapped around the straw of her drink. "Then I slept with him."

"Oh haha, very funny," Rei rolled her eyes at her, thinking this was one of Minako's weird attempts at humor to lighten up the situation.

"Wasn't joking," the blonde retorted with a raised eyebrow, though she refused to look at her friend and kept staring straight ahead.

Rei just sat for a few moments, unable to move and unsure of what to do. A part of her still insisted that this was Minako playing a prank on her or something along those lines. When Minako finally found her eyes and blushed slightly, Rei realized she was actually telling the truth.

"What?" Rei recovered the use of her vocal chords, her eyes going wide and round. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Minako answered, and the pink stain on her cheeks became more pronounced.

"How did this happen?" Rei continued in the same disbelieving tone.

"Honestly, I was not planning this. It just happened," Minako said, shaking her head a little.

"It just happened?" Rei repeated, her voice going up a couple of octaves as she was still in shock over what she'd heard. "How does something like _that_ just happen? For Heaven's sake, you were in the school building!"

"We didn't do it at the school, we went back to his apartment," Minako said defensively, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "What, do you think I have no common sense?"

"At the moment, I don't," Rei retorted heatedly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Minako, what were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Minako admitted, some sense of despair coming through in her voice now. "I wanted to talk to him but he was completely soaked from the rain and I didn't want him to get sick, so we went back to his apartment so he could take a shower and get changed."

"Don't tell me you just decided to join him in the shower," Rei interrupted her, holding a palm up, her other hand going up to massage her temple as she felt the beginnings of a headache.

"Of course, not," Minako replied, sounding a little indignant. She decided to keep to herself the fact that she actually had joined him in the shower this morning before she left his apartment. "I waited, and then after he got changed I told him everything about Usagi and Mamoru, and how he couldn't interfere in their relationship. It was awful, Rei. Have you ever had to break someone's heart?"

Rei's expression softened at her words. She did know that out of the two of them Minako was the one who took responsibility for the hardest job yesterday. While she didn't relish the conversation she'd had with Usagi either, it should have been way easier than shattering someone's romantic intentions and dreams, especially someone who wasn't as close to her. At least Usagi was one of her best friends and they had such liberties with each other.

"No, I can't say that I have," Rei admitted, her voice going back to her normal tone now.

Minako nodded at her. "I have," she said, thinking back to when she had to battle Ace even though they claimed to love each other, or even in her previous life during the war and her confrontation with Kunzite. "I've broken hearts and had my heart broken. But this was the first time breaking a person's heart on behalf of someone else. Honestly, I thought it would have been a little easier, since I wasn't directly involved in the situation. But it wasn't."

Rei wanted to interject with something along the lines if that was the reason why she'd decided to get involved in the situation by sleeping with Seiya, but she held her tongue for the moment. She could see this was difficult enough for Minako so she tried to be as supportive as she could.

"I can imagine," the brunette said. "Talking about this with Usagi wasn't easy either, but I think it would be worse having that conversation with Seiya."

"Yeah," Minako nodded, smiling a little in appreciation back at her. "So we talked about feelings and impossible loves, and I don't know. I just wanted to offer some sort of comfort, I could see how he was having such a hard time with all of this. Then he kissed me and I kissed him back and we just… didn't stop." She knew it was a rather lame explanation, and she didn't say everything that she'd offered him, but that was something she decided to keep just between her and Seiya.

Rei kept looking attentively at her friend, trying to read what was behind her words and what she hadn't said. "Are you telling Usagi and the other girls?"

"Not unless I have to," Minako replied promptly. "It's not that I want to lie to them. I just don't want things to get even more complicated than they already are."

"Haruka would have a fit if she knew what you've done," Rei agreed, murmuring under her breath.

"Exactly," Minako nodded emphatically back at her. She also kept to herself her thoughts that even though Usagi couldn't be with him, Minako wasn't completely sure her princess didn't have feelings for him. Seiya was very charming and handsome, after all, and they had been spending at lot of time together.

"Are you in love with him?" Rei's next question came out before she could stop herself.

Minako opened her mouth to reply but for a moment nothing came out. Was she in love with Seiya? She didn't think so, at least she'd never had strong feelings for him before. The fact that she was attracted to him and that they had great chemistry together didn't necessarily translate into one being in love─she was not that naïve anymore; actually, maybe she'd never been _that_ naïve, at least since she'd recovered her memories from her past life. She was also aware of his feelings for Usagi and she had her own complicated feelings for Yaten. Yet they had spent the past night together, barely sleeping as they couldn't keep their hands off each other. What did that mean? "Honestly, I have no idea," Minako finally sighed in reply, an answer to both Rei's question and her own inner musings.

Rei kept staring intently at her, and any person other than Minako may have squirmed uncomfortably at the way her eyes seemed to read her, but the blonde was used to it by now and she knew there was no use to resist against the psychic. She never knew when she was able to fool her or not. "Be careful, Minako," Rei said, something of a frown forming between her eyebrows.

"It's okay, we agreed it would be just a one night thing," Minako replied, waving her hand dismissively as if it were an inconsequential matter.

"That's not what I meant," Rei retorted.

"Don't worry, I'm not getting pregnant." The blonde said just as easily, taking another sip of her drink.

"That's not what I meant either!" Rei fumed in reply, but inside she was relieved to know her friend wasn't as irresponsible as she was sounding at the moment. "This is a very serious and delicate situation."

"I know," Minako replied. "I appreciate you worrying. I'll be careful, promise." She smiled at her and reached over, and Rei gave her a small smile and squeeze of the hand in return.

Just then, Minako noticed from the corner of her eye that Ami and Makoto were coming up the steps leading into Crown Parlour and about to walk in and join them. "One more thing? If anyone asks, I stayed over at your place last night." Rei rolled her eyes at this as if she'd already expected it but nodded in assent. "Thank you! Also Seiya gave me tickets to take all of us to today's show, so you can't say I never did anything for you," she added, winking at her and Rei just shook her head to herself, as Ami and Makoto came up and greeted them, joining them at their regular booth.


	3. Chapter 3: Decisions

**Disclaimer:** Sailor Moon, its characters and universe were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I'm merely a fan of the series, writing stories as an attempt to maintain sanity in a life occupied with working. I expect no profit from this. Except for the sanity, of course.

A.N.: I'm going back a little in time here, to the proverbial morning after when Minako leaves Seiya's apartment to go through his POV and elaborate a little more on what happened; I'm also filling in some blanks from the last episodes and chapters. Also, for those who've read my stories before, you know I like mixing up manga and original anime elements, and this chapter and the next delve a lot into that. For the final season/arc I like the Inners sacrificing themselves to save Sailor Moon and the Starlights like in the anime, but all the rest of the great battle against Galaxia I usually follow the manga─the Outers dying in their Castles by Galaxia herself, Kakyuu and the Starlights taking Sailor Moon to Sagittarius Zero Star and dying there, Sailor Moon battling her own Senshi at the Galactica Palace before facing Galaxia and Chaos in the Galaxy Cauldron.

* * *

 **Something in the Rain**

 _Chapter Three: Decisions_

It was very early in the morning when Seiya quietly sneaked Minako out of the penthouse apartment he shared with his friends. As they had agreed this would only be a one-night thing, there was no need to involve anyone else in this situation, so they'd kept quietly ensconced in Seiya's suite for the whole night. Well, not exactly _too_ quiet if they were honest, but thanks to some rather thick walls no one had been none the wiser that Seiya hadn't spent the entire night alone in his room with a bad case of migraine, which is what he had told his friends in order to not be bothered.

After they had showered together (and enjoyed the last of their time together), Seiya stuck his head out of his door, peering into the dark corridor the led the apartment suites back to the living room. It shouldn't be any problem, as Taiki was a rather heavy sleeper and Yaten got very cranky unless he got all his required hours of sleep, so there was very little chance that they'd run into them this early in the morning.

Seeing as the coast was clear, Seiya quietly pulled Minako along by the hand as they tiptoed out into the deserted living room. He quietly led them out into the private foyer as he pressed the elevator button and he shut the front door behind him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you out for breakfast?" He asked with a smile as he looked at her.

"I'm sure," Minako replied with a smile as well. "Honestly, I'm knackered! I'm going to sneak into my room and catch a few hours of sleep before getting back up again. You should, too! You have the big concert this afternoon."

"Yeah, I will," he said, retrieving something from his pocket then. "Which reminds me, I got these for you. Take the girls with you, I figured you'd all like going, as it should be our last concert."

Seiya handed her a handful of tickets in the VIP section for the last show of the Three Lights. Her eyes lit up at this and she beamed a smile up at him. As she raised a playful eyebrow at him, she said, "If I had known _this_ is what I needed to do to get VIP tickets, you should have just told me sooner."

He just shook his head good-humouredly at her, by now getting used to her sense of humour. "God, you're terrible," he said with laughter in his voice. As she grinned at him, his blue eyes kept softly trained on her. "But seriously, thank you. For ev─"

Minako quickly interrupted him, tiptoeing up and giving him a series of soft kisses as one of her hands delicately framed his face. His hands automatically encircled her at her waist and when she pulled back she gave him a dazzling smile. "Shut up," Minako said. "Stop thanking me. Besides, I should be the one thanking you for these, now." She added, motioning with her head to the tickets in her hand.

"Okay, okay," he laughed back at her.

"Are you going to be okay?" She asked, raising a concerned eyebrow at him then.

"Yes, I will," he said genuinely and she smiled at this. He didn't return the question, as he knew better than to treat her as this fragile girl. They had settled this before, so she didn't need any reassurances or any other words on what this night meant for the two of them.

Just then the elevator dinged and the doors opened in front of them. Minako gave him one last peck on the lips, then she hopped on and waved at him with a smile as she pressed the button for the lobby. He smiled and waved back as the doors closed. For a moment, he just stood alone in the foyer before he walked back into his penthouse apartment.

Seiya was turning to automatically go back to his suite when he glanced at the dining room and found Princess Kakyuu quietly sitting at the table, a hot cup of tea in front of her. The redheaded princess regarded him with a smile and an interested raised eyebrow as she said, "Good morning, Seiya. Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

Seiya could've face-palmed himself right then and there. While Yaten and Taiki weren't particularly early risers he had completely forgotten that Kakyuu rarely stayed in bed after the sun was up.

"Princess, hi," he said, in a sheepish tone as he shuffled over.

She quietly served him a cup of tea and kept watching him with the same soft smile as he sat beside her. She supported her chin with her hand, elbow leaning on the table in a relaxed manner completely unbefitting a princess as she turned to him and said, "So? I take it your migraine is cured, then."

He cringed at that, staring into his cup of tea and avoiding her eyes. He blushed as he stammered out, "Ah, y-yeah. L-listen, princess, I'm sorry for lying about that…"

"Don't worry about it," Kakyuu said easily, bringing her cup up to take a sip. "You're entitled to your privacy. I can understand how sharing a house and living in so close proximity with Taiki and Yaten may have been hard at times."

He nodded appreciatively at her as he also took a sip of his tea. "I don't know what to say," he said after a moment, as the silence stretched around them.

"You don't need to say anything you wouldn't want to," Kakyuu said kindly, as she reached a hand over and squeezed his hand. "I'm not judging you, as I'd never do that. I know you know that, too. But I'm also here for you, in case you'd like to talk about anything. Other than that I'm content to just share your company while we have a cup of morning tea."

He smiled gratefully at her, and before he knew it Seiya was pouring his heart out to his Princess about everything that had happened after they arrived on Earth. Kakyuu listened quietly and attentively, nodding at him and interjecting with appropriate comments or questions in a few parts, but mostly he talked while she listened.

"I can understand that you'd fall in love with Eternal Sailor Moon," Kakyuu said, as he finished his tale. "Usagi has a very gentle, warm light. It draws us in and she's simply enchanting."

"Yeah," Seiya nodded in agreement.

"Well, we'll need to make sure the two of you get some time alone to settle this," the redhead commented pensively, pressing a finger against her chin delicately. "I'm sure she must be disturbed about it as well, after your confession."

Once more Seiya nodded in agreement at her. "I will," he assured his princess. "I can't be weighing down in her mind when we face Galaxia. We all need to prepare for the final battle."

Kakyuu smiled in appreciation back at him. "And you're okay with all of this?" She asked concernedly.

"I am. She is a Princess, so her duty and destiny are always the heaviest on her shoulders," Seiya said after a moment with a bittersweet smile. "I can't help the way I feel about her, but there's also nothing I can do to change the situation. So I understand my love is one-sided and impossible, and it's okay."

Kakyuu smiled affectionately at him. She marveled at how much her Starlight protectors seemed to have grown in the short while they had been apart. Seiya had always been so free-spirited and easy-going, she'd been troubled to find him suffering for something she didn't completely understand, especially as he hadn't opened up to her. So she was glad that he was confiding in her now.

"What about Sailor Venus?" She asked then, drinking the last of her tea. "Minako, is it?"

"Yeah," Seiya said, blushing embarrassedly as he scratched with a hand at the back of his head. "Well, I'm not sure about that…"

"Is she just another one of your conquests?" Kakyuu asked with a raised teasing eyebrow. She knew all of her protectors very well, so she was aware of how Seiya Kou was a seemingly consummate playboy, always running after girls and getting tangled up in shortly lived torrid affairs.

"Ah, I wouldn't say that," he said after a moment as he frowned in thought. "To be honest, I really don't know. I like her, a lot. I had just never really thought about being involved with her before, well, last night."

Kakyuu nodded at that, not wanting to press him any more on an issue he was apparently still wrapping his head around. She took their empty cups of tea back to the kitchen sink and turned back to him. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, sooner or later. Now how about you get some rest? I can see you didn't sleep all that much this past night," she finished with a teasing smile.

He gave her a sheepish and embarrassed smile once more, thanked her for listening to him and being so understanding, and then returned to his bedroom to catch a few hours of sleep before he had to be up for one more day in the hectic life of a pop idol/Sailor Senshi.

Little did he know that in only a few hours the final battle against Galaxia would be started right in the middle of the final concert for the Three Lights.

* * *

It happened in a second.

One moment Sailor Venus had been struggling to get up, her mind going a million different ways, trying to think up a strategy that they would be able to use against Galaxia and stop the megalomaniac Sailor Senshi. But nothing she thought up seemed feasible, this woman was just too powerful, even if they combined all of their most powerful attacks there was no guarantee it would work out.

And then she didn't have any more time to think; Galaxia had let loose four attacks aiming at Eternal Sailor Moon and the Starlights. Without conscious thought, she exchanged one rapid and desperate look with Mars, who'd also struggled up to her feet. They nodded at each other and both went forth, Mars helping Jupiter up and dragging her by the arm and Venus grabbing Mercury by the hand as she also got back up to her feet.

Someone watching the scene happening would marvel at their level of coordination. They hadn't needed to confer with each other to know what they'd do. Mars released Jupiter's arm and kept going forward, placing herself between Galaxia's attack and Eternal Sailor Moon. Venus had no doubt that would be Mars's move, she'd always be the one to make the ultimate sacrifice for their princess. They all would, of course, but ever since D-Point that had been Mars's place of honour. In the milliseconds left for her to decide her action plan, Venus momentarily struggled with what to do, then she pushed Mercury to the right, placing the blue-clad Senshi in front of Maker, while at same time she pulled Jupiter to the center, placing her in front of Healer, and Venus herself stood before Fighter.

In her rather short life as a Senshi, Sailor Venus had suffered countless attacks and injuries, she'd had her Pure Heart Crystal taken, her Dream Mirror invaded and she'd even lost her life in a wasteland of ice and fire─not to mention the memory of her death at the fall of the Silver Millennium. But none of the pain endured on those occasions compared to the impact of Galaxia's attack and having her Star Seed─her very Sailor Crystal─ripped away. It was like a combination of all those previous attacks, as she felt her soul being taken, her body left tingling and vanishing away in a swirl of lights, going back to join the stars where they'd come from.

Yet if asked if she'd ever hesitate to do this again, her answer would always be swift and certain.

"Why? Why for us?"

"Because Sailor Moon and the Starlights are important to us…"

She didn't know how much time she stayed dead. Predictably, she'd had no sense of time and no memories of what had happened after dying, of what was in the great beyond (if there was anything at all). Nothing remained upon being brought back to life. And much more cruelly, the one thing she did remember was being used to battle the one she'd always pledged to protect.

Galaxia's powers and bracelets had had complete control of her. Like in a true nightmare, she could see everything she was doing and saying, yet she'd had no say, no choice over it.

" _This_ is the power of the greatest Sailor Senshi's Sailor Crystal in the Milky Way? It's like a gentle dancing breeze." She'd laughed viciously at Eternal Sailor Moon, acting as the Leader of the Senshi even in this horribly twisted version of herself as she commanded the others in their relentless attack against her princess and dearest friend.

Even if she'd felt her death all over again, she was glad when Eternal Sailor Moon was able to put a stop to that madness, using her incredible powers.

After that, the last thing she vaguely remembered was being reunited with Usagi and all the others, somewhere very warm and light, filled with all the love and happiness of being with those she cherished the most. And suddenly, as if it had all been a dream, she opened her eyes and found herself staring at a ceiling. Blinking her eyes a few times, she realized it was the ceiling of her own bedroom.

Sitting up bolt upright, her heart nearly beating out of her chest, Minako took a few deep breaths and pinched herself in the arm. Unless she was mistaken─she hoped to the Gods that she wasn't mistaken─this was real and she was very much alive.

"Minako!" She heard her mom calling outside her door. "I know it's Sunday and you came in late from yesterday's show, but come on! You need to get up at some point."

She looked around her room frantically, searching for Artemis but the white cat was nowhere to be seen. Next she rummaged through her bedside table and released a breath of relief at finding her transformation pens and her Senshi communicator in the place she usually left them before going to sleep. With shaky fingers, she sent out a general call and once more felt relief washing over her as Rei answered and she heard the brunette's voice coming through. "Minako?"

"Rei," she said, an impossibly wide smile lighting up her whole face. "Oh my God, you're okay. Is this real?"

"Yeah, I think so," Rei said and her voice echoed the blonde's tone. "Where are you?"

"Home, in bed," Minako replied. "I'm sending out a general call. Meeting at the Crown Parlour?"

"See you in fifteen," Rei said, warmth in her voice, then she shut off the call and the screen of the communicator turned blank once more.

Minako just sat in bed for a minute, one hand still wrapped around the communicator and another pressing against her chest over her pounding heart. She was back, they were all back! That nightmare was over, the battle was finished and life was about to get back to normal, whatever the hell that may be from now on.

"Minako!" She startled at her mother's voice and the knocking on her door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up!" Her voice shook a little and she struggled to maintain her usually annoyed tone with her mother. She was so happy and so relieved that she might even run out and hug her, but the woman would think she'd gone insane or that she was on drugs or something, and she didn't have time to deal with that right now.

Getting dressed as quickly as possible and dodging her mother's questions about her late night or breakfast by saying she was meeting the girls for brunch, Minako was soon out of her house and following a familiar path to Crown Parlour. As she passed by the game arcade, she saw Luna and Artemis emerging out into the sidewalk and she gathered both cats in a crushing hug, all three of them sharing tears of joy at this reunion.

"I'm so glad to see you again," the blonde cried as she kneeled down on the sidewalk and regarded both of them. "Where were you? I woke up in my bed and I had no idea what had happened."

"We woke up in the Command Center below the arcade," Artemis explained. "We used our computer systems to see what happened. Eternal Sailor Moon managed to defeat Galaxia and seal Chaos in the Galaxy Cauldron."

As he and Luna explained what they could of what their systems had recorded, the main information Minako got from all of this was that her "dream" of being with Usagi and the others was real and they had all been sent back to Earth, miraculously waking up in their beds as if only one night had passed since Galaxia's initial attack at the Three Lights' concert. Thankfully as Eternal Sailor Moon took the fight away towards Galaxia to Sagittarius Zero Star and away from their planet, no one on Earth had any idea how close they had been to complete annihilation.

Soon their friends joined them inside Crown Parlour─Minako had managed to sneak in both cats with her. The staff at the cafe were a bit confused at the loud and joyful gathering, so many people walking in and giving each other tight hugs and heartfelt proclamations of love and friendship abounded all around them.

"What is going on?" Furuhata Unazuki asked with a confused smile to the crowd at large. She was used to serving the five girls at their usual corner booth, but in addition to them she could also see Usagi-chan's boyfriend (who she'd thought had been studying overseas until next year) and now the famous Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru joined them, along a younger girl who seemed to be in Junior High and an older woman, probably a college student.

"It's a celebration, Unazuki-chan," Minako grinned back at the waitress, as she jumped up from her seat and turned to her. "A long, overdue celebration. Bring forth the champagne!"

"She's joking," Rei added with a smile as she intervened, walking up to them and linking her arm through Minako's. "We are celebrating, but no need to go overboard with the champagne."

"Oh boo," Minako stuck her tongue out at the brunette, but her grin seemed impossible to be wiped off her face at the moment.

"Oh what's the occasion?" Unazuki asked with a smile, already accustomed to all the girls' antics.

"Mamoru-san's safe return to Japan," Minako proclaimed, improvising on the spot now second nature to her. "And his engagement to Usagi!"

"What?" Usagi turned around at hearing her name, her blue eyes going wide. "I'm engaged?"

"Duh, what did you think that ring in your finger was all about?" Rei rolled her eyes dramatically at the oblivious blonde. "Now that Mamoru is back we can finally clear that issue and confirm it with him."

"Mamo-chan, is it true?" She rounded on her boyfriend then, so eager and confused. "I thought this was just a promise ring!"

"And what promise would that promise ring represent, exactly?" Rei interjected before Mamoru could properly reply, crossing her arms in exasperation at her friend.

"Well that he'd come back to Japan and that we'd be together again," Usagi replied, shrugging her shoulders matter-of-factly.

"And by being together again that would mean…?" Minako kept on, her teasing grin growing wider.

"Mamo-chan!" The blonde girl with the odangos exclaimed once more, blinking up her blue eyes.

"Well, I _was_ trying to propose to you before I─left," Mamoru concluded, quickly fudging up the truth as to what had interrupted his untimely proposal attempt as Unazuki was still standing near them, curious to hear his answer. He couldn't exactly say he was killed, after all. "As that didn't go so well," he continued, suddenly dropping down on one knee and holding tenderly onto Usagi's hand that still held the ring he'd given her all those months ago. "Usa-ko, will you do me the greatest honour of being my wife?"

Sudden joyous tears sprang to her blue eyes as several of the girls around them squealed, Minako and Makoto jumping up and down as they held each other's hands. Usagi brought her free hand up to her lips to contain her sobs as she was now openly crying.

"Is that a no?" Mamoru asked with a teasing smile as he remained kneeling down before her.

"It's a yes!" Usagi then found her voice once more as she shouted the answer back at him, her arms wrapping around him as she also kneeled down in front of him. "Of course it's a yes! It's _always_ a yes!"

The other patrons at the cafe had already been looking at the loud crowd curiously and they started applauding once they saw the scene taking place. Their friends clapped and cheered as well as the couple stood up and shared a loving, tender kiss.

As Usagi reluctantly pulled away from Mamoru, her cheeks stained pink and her eyes bright, the crowd that had been previously clapping quieted down, yet a certain buzzing of voices started permeating the atmosphere once more. She turned to the entrance of the cafe and was surprised to see three very well-known guys walking in, and in front of them stood a beautiful red-headed girl.

"Kakyuu!" Usagi exclaimed, running up to the princess of Kinmoku at once and enveloping her in a crushing hug. Fresh tears started running down her face then. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was afraid I'd never see you again."

"I'm happy to see you too, Usagi," Kakyuu replied tenderly, her red eyes also shining with unshed tears. "It seems the Galaxy Cauldron sent us back to Earth instead of straight to our recuperating planet," she whispered near her ear, so that only she would hear this part of the explanation. As they pulled apart and regarded each other, Kakyuu added, "And I'm glad, as we got to see each other again before we go back."

Usagi's grin shined brightly as she turned to the former members of the debanded Three Lights and also hugged them all fiercely and unabashedly. Yaten and Taiki were rather surprised at this display of affection and Seiya felt a bit awkward, yet after a moment of shock they all hugged her back as well. "You guys are okay, too! This is wonderful!" She turned back to Kakyuu and asked, "Are you leaving right now?"

"No, we thought we'd recover a little before going," the redhead said, smiling at the blonde's infectious enthusiasm. "We'll leave tomorrow at the end of the day."

"Then you have to stay and celebrate with us for today," Usagi replied, already dragging Kakyuu over back to their regular table where her friends were watching the exchange curiously.

As Unazuki left to bring more drinks to the new additions to their group, Usagi explained quietly how Kakyuu and the Starlights had guided her to Sagittarius Zero Star and aided her in her battle against Galaxia's underlings. "I could only do it because I had their help," Usagi said, her smile beaming affectionately at the four of them.

"Don't underestimate yourself," Kakyuu said with warmth in her voice. "I know we're all only standing here because of your efforts and undying faith and love."

The blonde girl blushed at her words, and soon they were all talking and laughing once more, as the celebratory atmosphere was so loving and contagious.


	4. Chapter 4: Desperate

**Disclaimer:** Sailor Moon, its characters and universe were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I'm merely a fan of the series, writing stories as an attempt to maintain sanity in a life occupied with working. I expect no profit from this. Except for the sanity, of course.

A.N.: This continues directly from the last chapter. Your reviews have all been greatly appreciated! As I'm still figuring out where this story is going, any feedback is welcome. :)

* * *

 **Something in the Rain**

 _Chapter Four: Desperate_

With Princess Kakyuu and her protectors joining in their celebration of the end of conflict with Galaxia, the civilian forms of the Inner, Outer and Starlight Senshi mingled and celebrated together, as old grudges or rivalries were left in the past after the ordeal of going through a war strengthened their bonds and the end of conflict put them all in such a good mood.

A few hours later, as Minako excused herself to use the bathroom for a moment, leaving the group at the table still in full celebration mode, a pair of bright green eyes interestedly followed her progress as she walked to the back of the cafe.

"I need to talk to you."

Minako nearly jumped out of her skin as she came out of the bathroom and looked behind her to find Yaten Kou leaning against the wall beside the door, his arms crossed, a soft frown between his eyebrows and his eyes closed. She tried to calm her rapidly beating heart and forced a smile into her voice.

"Yaten-kun," she said brightly, surprise evident in her voice though she managed to hide her nervousness. "I didn't see you there."

He opened his eyes and stared intently at her with those gem-like green eyes. For some reason the look he gave her put her on a high state of alert, as every fiber of her being warned her she needed to get out of there. "What's wrong? Why are you so serious? This is a celebration!" She smiled widely at him, infusing her voice and body language with warmth and energy, as she was wont to do, attempting to steer this unexpected interaction to a place where she could just get them back to the group and she could hopefully avoid him for the rest of the day.

"A celebration, right," he murmured, uncrossing his arms and taking a step closer to her.

"We should get back there, I think I can convince Setsuna to order us all a round of champagne, she's done this sort of thing for us before," the blonde said with laughter in her voice, instinctively taking a step back from him as he approached her.

His frown became more pronounced at this and he hesitated for a moment, then he just sighed to himself. "I don't have time for this," he murmured, as he suddenly wrapped his hand around her wrist and unceremoniously pulled her out of the small hallway leading into the cafe's bathrooms, all but dragging her out towards the exit.

"Yaten-kun!" She exclaimed at him as she stumbled a little and was forced to follow him out, her eyes growing wide at his sudden change in attitude.

As they walked out of Crown Parlour, standing on the landing before the stairs leading down to the street level, a little ways away before the automatic sliding glass doors, Yaten released her wrist and turned around to face her. "I really need to talk to you," he said, as his frown remained in place between his eyebrows.

"What's wrong?" She frowned at him as well now, absentmindedly rubbing her thumb softly over the wrist he'd grabbed.

"I need to know why," he said without preamble, his peridot green eyes staring intently into her blue ones. "I know you said─"

"Stop," she said, her voice coming out louder and more forceful than she had anticipated. Yaten hadn't expected it either, so much so that he abruptly stopped talking. She looked furtively around them for a moment, then she took a step closer to him, as she hissed nervously, "I don't want to talk about this."

Minako turned around, intending to get back inside Crown Parlour and back to her friends and their celebration, but Yaten's arm quickly shot out again and he grabbed her wrist once more, effectively keeping her in place. "Wait," he said, his tone coming out almost pleadingly. "I really need to talk to you about this."

She kept her back to him, shaking her head softly to herself. "And it's always been about what you need, right?" She threw back at him over her shoulder without looking at him.

"I know I'm being selfish right now," he admitted, his voice softening somewhat. "But I'll leave tomorrow and I may never see you again, so it's the proverbial now or never."

"How about never?" She looked sharply back at him, her blue eyes flashing dangerously as she met his eyes once more.

He was shaking his head now, the silver locks of his fringe falling softly into his eyes. "Stop being so dramatic," he said, his voice returning to his usual harsher tones. "You're going to have to deal with this as well, sooner or later."

"God, you're so─" she turned angrily back to face him, but stopped herself before she could go any further. She took a breath in and said, more calmly now. "You really have no idea what you're talking about, so how about we just leave it at that before you say something both of us will regret?"

"I can't," he said, some sense of desperation coming out in his voice then. "You really think I want to do this right now? Believe me, I would like nothing more than to leave you be and never see you again, but I know I can't just leave without talking to you about this. It will eat me alive if I do, and I think it will eat at you, too."

"I'm not that fragile," she spat back at him, her eyes still furiously blazing. "I've been through this before and I turned out just fine."

"Yeah, somehow I really don't believe that," he raised a sardonic eyebrow at her words.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She blushed an angry red at this.

"You may act and put on a front that everything is alright," Yaten retorted, his face coming closer to hers as he stared intently into her eyes. "You're always putting on a show, laughing and trying so hard to convince everyone, including yourself, that everything is just fine. But deep inside what you feel is a different story."

Minako gasped at what he said, her eyes growing wide and her angry blush draining away suddenly, as her face then became pale white. "How─?" Her lips tried to form out the question, but the words died out halfway through.

"Your friends Rei and Michiru aren't the only ones with special sensory abilities," Yaten said with something of a bittersweet smile.

Minako wrenched her arm free of his hand then, as she suddenly felt keenly aware of the fact that he was still in contact with her wrist, feeling her skin growing hot. He raised an eyebrow at this, but kept his arms to himself, crossing them over his chest once more. "A psychic?" She simply asked, her lips trembling a little.

"An empath," he explained just as simply.

Minako shook her head to herself, absentmindedly turning to her left as her legs carried her down the steps leading from the entrance to Crown Parlour back to the street below. Yaten frowned at this and followed, remaining a couple of steps behind her. "Where are you going?" He asked, catching up to her in a few long strides as she just kept walking, turning now to cross the street.

"It's not exactly the brightest idea to just stand in the middle of the streets of Tokyo talking about special abilities or battles against evil forces in broad daylight," she said, as they crossed the street and kept on walking. Soon the entrance for one of the nearby parks came into view and she turned sharply in.

"Honestly, I don't get why you're so upset about this," Minako said, as they turned down a winding path and came upon a more secluded area of the park. "You've already asked me why before. I told you so."

"Right," Yaten said, frowning and repeating her words back to her. "'Sailor Moon and the Starlights are important to us.'"

"That's right," she said, nodding stiffly at him, as she turned around to face him. "It was an impulse decision. Your lives were in danger, we needed to do something about it. We did what we could."

"Yeah," he once more crossed his arms over his chest. "That's what I'm having trouble with. Why would you do something like this, why sacrifice yourself for us."

"Look, if you're having trouble with this you should be talking to Mako-chan, not me," Minako retorted, also crossing her arms. "She's the one who stood in front of you, you know."

"Bullshit," he called out at once, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Excuse me?" She raised an affronted eyebrow at this.

"Cut the crap, Aino," Yaten said, uncrossing his arms and gesturing with his hands at her. "I was watching your every move. I could almost see how you calculated everything. Mercury had already been moving towards Maker, but she only made it in time because you pushed her. Then you pulled Jupiter in front of me as you stood before Fighter. Yet not once did you think about Eternal Sailor Moon, you didn't even glance her way."

"Oh my God," she exclaimed exasperatedly, her hands also gesturing wildly in front of her as she grew frustrated with the argument. "I didn't have to glance at her, I knew Mars would be there for her. We have an unspoken agreement for this. She will be the one to jump in front of her, always!"

"Okay," he nodded at her explanation. "So then why did I feel so much conflict within you then? As if you felt the need to be at two places at same time?"

"This is unbelievable," she murmured, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, before returning to gesturing with her hands once more. "You're seriously arguing with me over this? I was freaking throwing my life on the line there! I didn't have time to think through what I was feeling, not even what I was doing. I just did it because this is what I do. Don't flatter yourself, as it's not the first time I've done this. It comes with the job, so it doesn't mean anything!"

Minako paused then, realizing she had started to shout at him and noticing how heavily she was breathing, as her shoulders nearly shook as she took deep breaths in. Yaten took a step forward, invading her personal space once more as those goddamn green eyes stared intently at her.

"Really? It doesn't mean anything?" He repeated, almost glaring at her with his fixed stare. "Then why are you so upset right now?"

"You're making me go through all of it," she said through gritted teeth as she held her ground and held his gaze unwaveringly. "I didn't want to think about it right now; preferably never, to be honest. This is supposed to be a day of joyful celebration, we're all here and alive again, but you insist on hashing it out, the whys and the hows and the whats! I don't want to have to think about it, how I've died yet again to save someone else!"

"I'm sorry," he said, frowning softly at her then, momentarily rendering her speechless. She'd never heard Yaten Kou apologizing to anyone before and it was so unexpected that it took the wind out of her a little. "Look, you're right," he continued, averting his eyes for a moment. "I'm being a selfish bastard by pushing all of this. In the end I just wanted to understand what made you do what you did. And thank you for it." As he finished talking, his eyes turned back to hers.

They stood in silence for a few moments, a gentle breeze blowing at them, making their long hairs swish out around them. Minako now felt incredibly awkward at this softer and rather vulnerable side that Yaten was showing her and she didn't quite know how to handle it. "Uh, you're welcome, then. I guess." She said at last, shifting her weight from one foot to another.

Yaten nodded at her in appreciation. As he kept staring into her eyes, his soft frown returned to his eyebrows. "You really think that?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper, but he stood so close to her now that she could hear him very clearly.

"What?" She said, and for some reason those words made her heart start beating even faster than before. She wanted to take a step back, but found his eyes kept her in place as if he were actually holding her there.

"That we're important?" He asked, yet again some sense of vulnerability seeping into his voice. "That _I'm_ important to you?"

Minako knew she could've diverted this question, talking again about the duties of a Sailor Senshi, how she'd done this before and it was no big deal and how sparing him for the battle ahead had been strategically more important. But as she looked into his eyes, almost drowning in his sea of green, she whispered back to him. " _You're_ the empath. Can't you tell?"

Yaten widened his eyes a little at her words, but after a moment he put his hands on her shoulders and just stared into her with so much concentration that it almost made her tremble. Minako could almost feel as he metaphorically delved into her, looking deep into her crevices and nooks, peeling away her layers of mental barriers, armours and masks that she used to protected herself. She felt essentially bare before those eyes, as if she stood naked in front of him and he could see her for her actual, true self. No tricks, no diversions. Just pure and raw feelings.

She barely reacted then when his hands suddenly came up, framing her face delicately as he leaned forward, closing the gap between them as their eyes automatically fluttered closed. She felt her breath hitching up in her throat when his lips touched hers, so soft and just brushing lightly against her own. As she kissed him back, feeling the pressure of his lips under hers, her arms encircled him at the waist and her hands grabbed at his shirt of their own volition.

He instinctively reacted to her touches, tipping her head back as the first kiss was succeeded by another and another and another. She bit lightly at his lower lip and gasped when he deepened the kiss. One of his hand got tangled up in her hair and another encircled her back as he pulled her closer to him, their kisses becoming hot, frantic and desperate all of a sudden, lips pulling and tasting each other is if there was no tomorrow.

"No," she suddenly gasped out, pulling her lips away from his, her hands pushing out at his chest as she took a few steps backwards. Minako breathed heavily and glared at him then, as angry tears formed in her eyes. "I don't need this, I don't want this right now! Not when when you're in love with someone else, not when you're about to leave, not when you're just doing this because you think I sacrificed myself to save you!"

"That's not what I'm─" Yaten started to protest, taking a step towards her and reaching a hand out to her, his eyes going wide at her reaction.

"Really? Isn't it?" Minako interrupted him, raising a hand up to keep him away from her. "For _months_ I've tried _everything_ to catch your eye, to impress you, to make you look at me as someone who─!" She interrupted herself, shaking her head despondently. " _This_ , right now? This is just you reacting to my dying and learning I have feelings for you. This isn't real. This isn't helping me. It's too painful and it's not what I want."

"Minako…" He said, his voice broken and a soft frown forming once more, as his eyes also glistened over with sadness.

If she had stopped to think about it, Minako would've realized it was the first time Yaten called her by her name.

"Please, just… Just leave me alone," she concluded, shaking her head as she walked past him towards the exit of the park, a few silent tears escaping her eyes and running down her face.

Yaten stood in the same spot, feeling somewhat petrified and the hand he'd tried to reach out to her slowly falling down beside him, his hands balling into shaking fists after a moment.

Minako blindly left the park and gained the streets of Tokyo once more, her feet automatically taking her through familiar paths back towards Crown Parlour. A few silent tears still coursed down her face as she felt quite overwhelmed over what had just happened. She tried to get a hold of herself, to lock down her feelings once more as she usually did, but wasn't very successful. As she approached the stairs leading up to the cafe, she stopped by the sidewalk, wiping her tears away.

"Minako?" She heard someone calling down the steps. As she blinked up, tears still clouding her view she saw Seiya coming down to her level. "What's wrong? What happened?" He stood in front of her and frowned concernedly.

"Nothing," she smiled wanly at him, trying her best to disguise her tears with her smile. "I'm fine. It was nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," he insisted, peering attentively down at her.

Her lips trembled as her thin smile vanished away and she hid behind her hands as fresh tears started coursing down her face. Seiya put his hands on her shoulders and tried to calm her down, whispering soothing nothings by her ear, yet after a moment he realized his words only seemed to fuel on more of her tears.

As they stood in the sidewalk and she kept on crying, he didn't quite know what to do. For a moment Seiya considered going upstairs and getting Usagi or maybe Rei to help him out, but he didn't want to leave her by herself and he also didn't want to bring her up to the cafe in front of everybody like this. Thinking quickly, he hailed down an oncoming cab and in a few moments they were in the back seat of the car as he told the driver to just drive.

It was a few minutes before Minako calmed down as she seemed to run out of tears to cry. She'd leaned on Seiya's shoulder as her tears kept falling onto his shirt, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and his hand gently caressing her hair. As her sobs subsided they remained in silence for a few moments as the streets of Tokyo zoomed past them out the windows.

"Are you feeling better?" Seiya asked quietly as he peered down at her.

"Yeah," she whispered back at him, feeling a bit emotionally drained. She had not expected anything that happened once Yaten had started talking to her and she had no idea why she'd reacted this way. She was usually so good at controlling her emotions, it was the first time she'd broken down like this.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Seiya asked, as he absentmindedly kept on running his fingers through her hair in a soothing manner.

"I really don't," Minako sighed in response.

"Are you sure? Maybe I can help," Seiya insisted a little.

Minako was sure. She didn't want to talk about it and she didn't want to think about it. Most of all she didn't want to feel the way she felt anymore. Well, if Seiya wanted to help there were things they could do other than talk.

As she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up into his eyes, finding genuine caring and concern for her in the depth of his blues, she reached up to his face with her hand and brought his lips down to hers. He was surprised for a moment as their lips softly met, but then he kissed her back, the two of them easing into the act as if it were an old habit.

Minako snaked her arms around him, revelling in the feeling of his kisses and touches and how he could rouse in her some sort of primal response that was pure desire. Their chemistry was undeniable and this was exactly what she wanted right now. There were no confused feelings or expectations between the two of them, it was simple as that. He was like a balm on her frayed nerves, and she felt herself getting lost in this feeling as she deepened their kisses and grabbed with some force at the hair on the back of his neck.

"Wow," he breathed out, his lips still pressed up against hers. "What is going on?"

"Take me somewhere, anywhere," she breathed out, her lips and tongue making a path towards his neck as she then whispered against his ear. "I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to think about it. All I want to feel is _you_."

Feeling quite intoxicated with the feeling of her, as her lips found his once more and demanded his full attention and one of her hands snaked under his shirt, her nails scratching down his back, Seiya briefly disengaged his mouth from hers, directing the taxi driver to Roppongi and one of the luxury hotels in the area. Really, there was no better time to take advantage of the fact that he was a rich and famous pop idol.

* * *

References: I know Setsuna buying them champagne may seem weird for some people, but she does something like it in the side-story manga, The Lover of Princess Kaguya─she seems more outgoing and cool like that in the manga, in general.


	5. Chapter 5: Definitions

**Disclaimer:** Sailor Moon, its characters and universe were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I'm merely a fan of the series, writing stories as an attempt to maintain sanity in a life occupied with working. I expect no profit from this. Except for the sanity, of course.

A.N.: I'm starting to see where I want to go with this story and I'm still very excited about it. I hope people are still enjoying this, even if things between Minako and Seiya are not developing as in a regular relationship and now I've thrown her in the middle of a love triangle with Yaten. To be honest, I'm drawing from personal experience for some of this so I'm particularly happy that they aren't like a regular couple. Let me know what you think! :)

* * *

 **Something in the Rain**

 _Chapter Five: Definitions_

Minako could feel the sweet waves of release crashing over her as her whole body seemed to tremble with her orgasm. Her mind went blessedly blank and for a few moments there was nothing but pure ecstasy as she cried soundlessly, feeling her heart beating so loudly in her chest as her oxygen-deprived lungs struggled to keep up with her. She was still coming down from her high when she felt Seiya wrapping his arms tightly around her, his teeth biting down on her shoulder as he also found his release.

The two of them panted for oxygen for quite a few moments, neither having the energy to move from their position with Minako sitting on Seiya's lap with her legs encircling his waist, his forehead pressed against her left shoulder and his arms still wrapped around her. After a while, he lifted his eyes and looked at her. He had to admit, even with some of her hair now looking rather like a mess as it clung to her forehead, she looked like a goddess, a veritable and quite appropriate image of Aphrodite.

Her blue eyes focused on him then and she cradled his face, placing languid, sloppy kisses on his lips. He still clung to her, his hands running paths down her sweat-slicked back as he kissed her, both of them still rather catching their breaths.

"So?" He said once she released his lips and they regarded each other. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

She made a face at him. "Did I not say how I didn't want to talk or think about anything?" She panted out as she was still so out of breath.

"So you're just planning on using my body until we're completely exhausted and our brains have collectively turned to mush from all the sex?" He retorted slowly, his lips forming a lazy smile on their own at his words.

"What? Doesn't that sound like a perfectly lovely way to spend the afternoon?" She raised a teasing and somewhat challenging eyebrow at him.

"It does, it really does," Seiya replied, quick to reassure her that this was indeed a favorable situation that he was thoroughly enjoying, in case it was possible that she still had any doubt in her mind. "But in all seriousness, you got me worried back there. I've never seen you this affected before, so I'm wondering if there's anything else I could do for you." His blue eyes kept softly looking into hers as he delicately swept a few of her hayward strands of hair away from her eyes, before he added, "you know, besides all the mind-blowing sex." He grinned and raised his eyebrows roguishly at her then.

Minako couldn't help but grin at his words, even as she rolled her eyes as well. "Shut up and put your hands on me," she said huskily with a sparkle in her eyes, as one of her hands traced his jaw and caressed his neck as she brought his lips to hers and her other hand brought one of his from her back to her front, placing it fully over her breast.

Seeing as he was fighting a losing battle and that he actually wasn't against her action plan, Seiya complied with her wishes and applied himself wholeheartedly to the task at hand. His hands pulled and grabbed at her skin and flesh as his lips kissed her senseless as the two of them got tangled up in each other once more─or more accurately, continued entangled with each other.

It was a few more hours before the two of them simply laid down on the spacious hotel bed, both too spent and exhausted to do anything else other than just be for a few minutes. Minako propped her head up against Seiya's thigh as she stared at the ceiling, watching as the setting sun cast a beautiful orangey red glow in the entire room. Seiya also looked up unseeingly at the ceiling as he absentmindedly ran his fingers over the length of her arm.

"I think I need some water," Seiya hoarsely said, clearing his throat for a moment. Minako turned her eyes to him then and chuckled softly. "Or maybe a sports drink. Definitely something liquid."

"Let me check the mini-bar," she said in reply to that, motioning to get up.

"You stay, I'll check," he said, as he re-positioned her head under a pillow and got up from the bed. After a moment, he returned carrying a water bottle for Minako as he chugged down on another one. She gratefully accepted the bottle as he laid down beside her once more.

They were silent for a few moments, and then Seiya turned to her, propping his head up on his hand, much like he'd done after the first time they'd slept together. Minako raised an eyebrow at him and had a flash in her mind of being with him like this before. Had that really happened less than 48 hours ago? It did not seem feasible. She'd lived through a lifetime in those two days, getting into battle, dying and coming back to life.

How was it possible that for the world outside everything was still the same?

"What?" She finally said, as Seiya just kept looking at her, his face rather unreadable.

"I'm trying to decide the best way to ask you what happened that would get you to open up to me," he said honestly, as he kept his gaze focused on her.

Minako couldn't help but roll her eyes rather tiredly. She returned to stare at the ceiling, as she said, "I know you mean well, but I was serious when I said I didn't want to talk about it, any of it."

"Minako, come on," he said, his voice almost pleading now. "You know I'm all for having all the mind-blowing sex in the world, but you can't expect me not to be worried right now."

Of course, she knew that. But she really didn't want to talk about it. For a least a little while she didn't want to have to think or feel anything else other than remind herself that she was here and she was alive; they _both_ were. After all, she had sacrificed herself to save him as well. While she wasn't sure what she felt for Seiya, she knew they had an incredible chemistry together and the sex was a way to reassure herself that this was real, she was back and for those blessed moments when she was in the throes of an orgasm, she forgot about the fact that she'd been dead for a few hours.

"I get that you may not want to talk about it with me," Seiya kept on saying. "But at least promise me you'll talk to someone─Usagi, Rei or one of the girls─about what happened with you and Yaten."

Minako looked sharply up at him, her blue eyes growing alarmed at his words. "How do you know something happened with me and Yaten?"

"It's kind of obvious," he raised an eyebrow at her. "The two of you suddenly disappeared, and Princess Kakyuu told me she'd seen you going out to the street together. Then I find you crying hysterically on the sidewalk and Yaten's nowhere to be seen."

Minako mentally cursed after hearing his words, as she should've known someone would notice they were gone. Why the hell was she acting so recklessly? At least she'd sent a text message to Rei while Seiya had checked them into the hotel, asking her friend to keep her bag (which she'd left behind at the cafe) and cover for her, saying her mom had gone ballistic about some inconsequential matter and that she needed to abruptly go back home. She was sure Rei had not believed a word of it and they were bound to have a long talk about this later on, but at least for the moment it was the best excuse she could come up with and her friend had reassured her she'd take care of it with their friends.

"I know Yaten can be rude and insensitive," Seiya kept on talking, seeing as Minako was still silent and he felt he needed to say something about it, even if he didn't know what exactly had happened. "And I'm not making up excuses for him, but there's actually a reason he behaves like that at times. You see, he has these special abilities."

"I know," Minako replied, her voice quiet as she kept on looking at the ceiling rather than directly at Seiya. "He's an empath. He told me so."

"Right," Seiya frowned softly at her. He paused for a moment, but as she didn't volunteer any more words on the subject, he decided to keep on talking. "That's why he also hates physical contact with others. If he keeps his distance, it's easier to block other people's feelings but sometimes that's not enough. He gets very bothered by sensing other people, so he tries to keep to himself and not get close to anyone. When that doesn't work he can get very cranky and volatile, as he's forced to feel what others feel."

"You say you're not making up excuses for him, but that sounds a lot like it," she raised an eyebrow at him then.

"I know," he smiled rather sheepishly at her. "To be honest, I think sometimes we just let him get away with his shitty behavior because we know how hard a time he has with dealing with all of this. And as he's instinctively learned to keep away from people, he still has a lot to learn, to grow up."

Minako mulled over his words for a moment. His description of Yaten now reminded her a little of Rei when the girls had first met her. While Minako herself had only interacted with them later on, she'd kept a close eye on them via Artemis and their monitoring them through the Command Center under the game arcade, and she knew how the Shinto priestess didn't like getting close to people back then, as people were scared of her psychic abilities so she'd also tried keeping to herself. Interestedly Rei at times could also be too blunt and honest, calling people out on their bullshit and not caring what people thought of her. She also knew how Rei had grown up and loosened up a lot as her friendship with the girls grew as well.

"He's not like you and me, you know," Seiya continued talking. "We like people. It's easier for the two of us to get to know others and interact with them. But it's quite the opposite for him. You know, even though he has feelings for Princess Kakyuu, he's never acted on it and I think he never would─sometimes I think that's why he fell in love with the Princess, of all people, as he'd have that excuse to not do anything about it. I've never seen him getting close to anyone. In fact, I don't think he's ever even kissed anyone."

"What?" Minako's blue eyes went wide at this as she sharply turned to look at Seiya once more.

"What?" Seiya asked as he frowned at her reaction to his words. As he regarded her alarmed expression and put things together in his head, his frown of confusion cleared. "Oh. So _that's_ what happened."

Minako groaned softly to herself, as she came up to a sitting position, half hugging her knees to her chest and half burying her face in her hands. She could not believe that on top of everything else that had been Yaten's first kiss. He'd always had girls throwing themselves at him, she'd thought he had been some sort of heartbreaker with a long list of ex-girlfriends─much like Seiya. And he was right, it was one thing to treat physical contact and affection casually as the two of them did; Minako's own first kiss had been at thirteen years old, with an older crush who had thought she was someone else at the time so she didn't give much thought to those romantic milestones. But after Seiya's words she had a feeling Yaten wasn't like that.

"Hey, it's okay," Seiya also sat up and put his arm around her shoulder comfortingly, rather afraid that she would start crying again. "I'm sorry things didn't go well and that he rejected you…"

"He didn't," Minako said abruptly, taking her hands away from her face, though she kept looking forward and avoided Seiya's eyes. "I rejected him. I think."

"What?" Seiya blinked up in confusion then. "What do you mean, you _think_ you rejected him?"

"I'm not sure what happened, actually," she confessed at last. "He wanted to know why I'd sacrificed myself to save him, to save all of you. He asked if he truly was someone important to me. I didn't say so, but sort of gave him permission to see for himself, with his powers. Then he kissed me."

"He kissed you?" Seiya repeated in a surprised tone, his eyebrows going up in his forehead.

"Yeah," she nodded, her voice soft. She rolled her eyes to herself as she said, "Then suddenly we were making out and I flipped out, because I thought that was just him reacting to learning I have feelings for him and that in a way I sort of died for him. It was suddenly too much, too confusing and hurtful."

"Why?" Seiya questioned, his eyebrows furrowing now.

She turned to look him directly in the eye as she said, "Because I didn't want it if he wasn't being serious about it. I thought I was just another of many girls that he'd kissed, and what would be the point of having this with him if he didn't actually love me and was just about to leave for us never to see each other again?"

They kept looking into each other's eyes for a moment, blue meeting blue as her words hung in the air between them. "So then you rejected him and chose to come to this hotel with me instead?" Seiya asked her, putting into words what they were both thinking about. "Even though I'm about to leave as well?"

"I know," Minako acknowledged it, rolling her eyes to herself once more. "It doesn't make any sense. I'm a mess! I don't know what I'm doing right now." She buried her fingers in her hair in a frustrated gesture, slightly shaking her head.

"Well, I can't blame you," Seiya replied. "I mean, who would resist this?" He gestured with his hand at himself and grinned coquettishly at her, and she laughed at that and Seiya smiled successfully as his goal was accomplished. "But listen, you've been through a lot. We all have. It's understandable that everything is a little messed up right now."

"Yeah, I know," she smiled appreciatively back at him. "But I shouldn't be messing other people up just because I'm damaged."

"What are you talking about? You're not damaged," he was quick to protest. "And you're not messing other people up. Okay, so I can't speak for Yaten, but you need to know that at least for me everything's okay with us. No matter what happens, things will always be okay with us."

"You can't say that," she argued back. "You can't know it will _always_ be okay with us. What if I do something really screwed up? What if I do mess it up for real?"

"It doesn't matter," Seiya insisted, shaking his head and smiling back at her. "I don't care what happens with you and Yaten or anybody else. Let's make a deal, right now. That even if we do mess up with each other, things will always be cool with us. Deal?"

He extended his hand to her and waited expectantly for her to shake it. Minako looked at his hand then back at his face. This whole thing between the two of them, whatever it was, didn't seem to stop surprising her. It was funny how they were getting along so well, considering that up until a few days ago they didn't really interact on their own all that much. But it was undeniable that there was a special connection between them now.

"Can I ask you something first?" She asked, and at his nod she continued. "What is this? What are we doing?" She gestured vaguely with her hands between the two of them.

"Well," Seiya mulled over her question, rubbing his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "How about we're two friends, who care a lot about each other, support each other through hardships and have amazing sex together?" He finished by smiling hopefully at her, gauging her reaction to his response.

"So something like friends with benefits?" She raised an eyebrow at him, yet something of a smile was forming on the corners of her mouth.

"You know we can't make any other promises," he simply shrugged back at her, and his smile became rather sheepish and almost apologetic.

"No, we can't," Minako agreed with that, sighing a little in reply. He was leaving, she was staying. Not to mention the fact that they had complicated feelings for other people outside of the equation and they clearly weren't ready to define what they felt for each other.

"But it doesn't change the fact that I like you and I like what we have," Seiya added. "And I want us to make this deal, so that no matter how bad things become we'll always have each other's backs and we can lean on each other whenever we need to. Heck, the fact that we're the respective Leaders of the Guards for our Princesses even shows it would make sense for us to have some sort of partnership, so that we can keep in touch and help each other out in a crisis and form this sort of Sailor Senshi Alliance."

As he was telling her his thoughts, Minako found herself agreeing with his words. Curiously it was the first time she was registering the fact that they were both the Leaders of their groups of Sailor Senshi. She hadn't stopped to think about it before and how it was yet something else they had in common, but she thought it added to the bond they shared now.

"Okay, I like that," she finally smiled back and moved to shake his hand. "You got yourself a deal."

He shook her hand back and grinned at her. As they stopped shaking and then were simply holding hands, a thought crossed her mind and Minako said, "I just realized, you never asked me why."

"Why what?" Seiya raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why I stepped in front of Galaxia's attack." Once more she faced him with that naked honesty that had first entranced him, no attempt to hide her vulnerability as she said those words.

"I didn't need to," he simply said, shrugging his shoulders gently as if the matter were that simple to him. "I know why."

Minako gazed deeply into his blue eyes. She didn't have any psychic or sensory abilities, but she could usually trust her gut and now she could feel the truth in his words. Somehow Seiya understood things about her that one one else had. She wondered if it was because they were so alike in many aspects, not to mention their shared roles as Leaders. The only ones that came close to understanding her like this were Artemis and, at times, Usagi. And, a literal lifetime time ago, a certain silver-haired General.

She realized that under different circumstances she could've very well had fallen in love with Seiya instead. She still wasn't entirely convinced that wasn't the case right now, but honestly she was such an emotional mess that she couldn't begin to make head nor tails of her feelings to clearly define anything with precision.

She really needed to do something about this, and she grudgingly agreed that Seiya was right and she needed to talk to someone about what had happened earlier, and that someone was Yaten himself.

* * *

References: Minako's first kiss is depicted in Codename wa Sailor V.


End file.
